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EXCLUSIVE... Army Investigation into Sexual Harassment Charges
by Specialist Suzanne Swift Ended in July, Attorney Says Military
"Did Not Do Diligent Investigation"
Day for Darfur: Tens of Thousands Rally in Global Day Against
Genocide
EXCLUSIVE... Army Investigation into Sexual Harassment
Charges by Specialist Suzanne Swift Ended in July, Attorney
Says Military "Did Not Do Diligent Investigation"
In a Democracy Now! exclusive, Army Specialist Suzanne Swift
speaks out in her first national broadcast interview. After
serving in Iraq, Swift was arrested and confined to base for
going AWOL. She says she was sexually harassed and abused
by her commanders in Iraq and at home. In the interview, Swift
reveals for the first time that an Army investigation concluded
in July that they could not substantiate her claims. Swift
says, "For women considering going into [the military]:
Don't." Her attorney, Keith Scherer, says, "It's
pretty clear from the language in the report that they didn't
do a diligent investigation." [includes rush
transcript]
Today, a Democracy Now exclusive. For the past several months,
we have been covering the case of Suzanne Swift - she is the
Army Specialist who was arrested and confined to base for
going AWOL after her charges of sexual harassment and assault
went un-addressed by the military.
Suzanne served in Iraq for a year but decided she could not
return and went AWOL. She said she was sexually harassed both
in Iraq and at her base in Fort Lewis, Washington. In June,
the police arrested Suzanne in Eugene, Oregon and took her
to the county jail. She was then transferred to Fort Lewis
where she was confined to her base for 2 months.
Last week the Army completed its investigation into Swift's
charges. Today, for the first time, Suzanne speaks to us live
- She's on the phone from Eugene Oregon. Also on the line
are Suzanne's attorney, Keith Scherer and her mother, Sara
Rich.
- Suzanne Swift, she went AWOL in January of 2006. She
alleges she was sexually harassed repeatedly by her superiors
in the Army.
- Keith Scherer, military defense attorney. We are also
joined by Suzanne's attorney, Keith Scherer. He is a partner
at Gagne, Scherer & Associates.
- Sara Rich, mother of Suzanne Swift.
More information at SuzanneSwift.org.
Email Suzanne Swift's mother, Sara Rich, at formydaughtersuzanne@yahoo.com
Day for Darfur: Tens of Thousands Rally in Global
Day Against Genocide
Tens of thousands of protesters rallied around the world
on Sunday in a global day against genocide in the Darfur region
of Sudan. The global day of protests was organized to coincide
with the start of the United Nations General Assembly debate
this week on Sudan. We speak with Darfur refugee Mohamed Yahya
as well as the head of a Sudan divestment campaign. [includes
rush
transcript]
Tens of thousands of protesters rallied around the world
on Sunday in a global day against genocide in the Darfur region
of Sudan. In New York, organizers said over 30,000 people
gathered in Central Park. Speakers included former Secretary
of State Madeleine Albright.
- Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State:
"The world has to act and it must do so now because
it's not, the time is not on our side. The possibility exists
that by this time next month, there will be no peacekeepers
in Darfur or humanitarian workers, just killers and victims.
That would be a failure and we cannot be complicit to it.
To be clear, the issue is not about trying to impose U.S.
western values on Sudan, for the protection of the civilians
is a universal responsibility."
Demonstrations and vigils were also held on Sunday in Berlin,
Dubai, Dublin, London, Melbourne, Paris, Seoul and Stockholm
and dozens of other cities. The global day of protests was
organized to coincide with the start of the United Nations
General Assembly debate this week on Sudan. Late last week
the actor George Clooney testified before the United Nations
Security Council.
- George Clooney, actor:
"My job is to come here today and to beg you on behalf
of the millions of people who will die -- and make no mistake,
they will die -for you to take real and effective measures
to put an end to this. Of course it's complex, but when
you see entire villages raped and killed, wells poisoned
and then filled with the bodies of its villagers, then all
complexities disappear and it comes down to simply right
and wrong."
Meanwhile the Sudanese government has openly rejected the
United Nations" vote to authorize a peacekeeping force
for Sudan. Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir spoke
on Sunday at the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Cuba.
- Omar Hassan Al-Bashir, President of Sudan:
"We are against invading forces, the 1906 resolution
places Sudan under supervision because we are an independent
nation and we don't want colonialism to return to Sudan.
In any cases we have African forces installed in our country
within the African Union. We have reached a peace agreement
in the south after a war which lasted twenty years."
For more on Darfur we are joined by two guests:
- Mohamed Adam Yahya, chairman of the Damanga
Coalition for Freedom and Democracy, an organization
founded to promote the human rights of Darfuris in exile
as well as in Sudan. He spoke at the rally in New York yesterday.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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